Abstract

We study cubical sets without degeneracies, which we call {square}-sets. These sets arise naturally in a number of settings and they have a beautiful intrinsic geometry; in particular a {square}-set C has an infinite family of associated {square}-sets Ji(C), for i = 1, 2, ..., which we call James complexes. There are mock bundle projections pi: |Ji(C)| -> |C| (which we call James bundles) defining classes in unstable cohomotopy which generalise the classical James–Hopf invariants of {Omega}(S2). The algebra of these classes mimics the algebra of the cohomotopy of {Omega}(S2) and the reduction to cohomology defines a sequence of natural characteristic classes for a {square}-set. An associated map to BO leads to a generalised cohomology theory with geometric interpretation similar to that for Mahowald orientation.